Large semi-trucks, produce trucks, and even large military vehicles pass through Ridgecrest at all hours. Sometimes these heavy, massive vehicles become sudden hazards for local motorists. A fully loaded tractor-trailer truck or an Amazon Van could slam into your car or SUV and cause a major injury to you or a family member. Victims should never have to face the costs of their recoveries alone.
Sometimes with accidents involving a truck driver, the driver, and the driver’s employer can be held financially responsible. To find out who exactly should be liable for the pain you’ve endured, contact an experienced Ridgecrest Truck Accident Lawyer and schedule a free consultation with Maison Law. It’s a risk-free way to talk to a real lawyer and determine what your injury may be worth and how to demand what’s fair.
Truck Accident Dangers in Ridgecrest
Ridgecrest drivers can’t go far without finding big rigs, tanker trucks, and produce trucks taking up more than their share of the lanes. You see them along Highway 178 and even in the narrow lanes on Norma Street.
State Route Hard-working truckers keep the shelves stocked at Kern County stores and other businesses. However, meeting a semi-truck on the highway can be a bit frustrating and also a little frightening for motorists.
Manufacturing trucks can weigh 50,000 or 60,000 lbs more than an average SUV when they have a full shipment. They can be harder to stop in an emergency and they also pack much more of an impact when striking a defenseless car or SUV driver.
The shape of these giant vehicles also makes them more dangerous to the average motorist. Cars can easily slide under them in an accident and injured victims might have to wait longer for medical care as emergency responders work to free them from their vehicles.
The consequences for injured victims in cars can be much more debilitating than in a normal collision. If you are hurt, it’s important to trust your case to a skilled Ridgecrest truck accident lawyer. A lawyer is your safeguard to keep an insurance company from limiting your accident support and leaving you with less than you need to make a full physical and financial recovery.
Common Truck Driver Mistakes
The truck drivers themselves may be the biggest threat to other motorists. Truck drivers must be vigilant at all times as they guide these big rigs. When they become careless, devastating accidents become much more likely.
These are just a few of the bad decisions truck drivers can make:
- Distracted Truck Drivers: Delivery drivers in vans can look at computer screens to find their next deliveries. Long-haul drivers might stare at a text conversation on a cell phone. This is all time they aren’t watching what’s going on in the lanes ahead.
- Speeding Truck Drivers: Drivers may be speeding to beat a deadline and not thinking of the danger they are putting local motorists in. They need to be focused on traffic lights and traffic slowdowns because they’ll need extra time to slow down their payloads so they don’t rear-end a line of cars ahead of them.
- Exhausted Truck Drivers: Truck drivers are subject to strict laws about how long they can continuously drive. Unfortunately, drivers are under a lot of pressure to make deadlines and sometimes skip these mandatory rests. They can become sluggish or even fall asleep at the wheel to allow a runaway semi-truck.
- DUI Truck Drivers: A driver under the influence of a drug or alcohol will struggle to safely steer a massive truck or delivery van. Truck drivers have a stricter standard involving alcohol use. Their Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) must remain under .04% or they can be charged with DUI.
Who May Be Held Liable in a Ridgecrest Truck Accident?
Determining who can be held accountable for your accident is one of the biggest safeguards your Ridgecrest attorney provides. When you hold several parties accountable for your injuries, you have a better chance of getting all of your hospital bills covered and your other damages compensated.
It’s not uncommon for a truck driver’s personal commercial truck insurance to have low coverage limits. This means that once the insurance money is exhausted whatever bills remain will have to be paid out of your pocket. Holding the driver’s employer liable as well gives you access to a commercial liability policy that may come with much higher limits.
These are just a few of the potential defendants that may be forced to support you through recovery:
- Independent Driver – Drivers may work for themselves. They’ll have commercial insurance you’ll hope to draw from.
- Local Trucking Company– Drivers may be working for a local delivery or shipping company that provides some insurance. These companies may also face liability if poor maintenance and upkeep of their trucks and tires contributed to an accident.
- Large Corporations – These national companies, like Walmart, may have their own network of trucks and drivers. Delivery companies like Amazon or FedEx often carry large insurance policies for their drivers. Unfortunately, these businesses also have corporate lawyers who fight to free their employers from blame after an accident.
- Truck Manufacturer – A problem with the way a truck is built could be the cause of a major accident. A parts defect or a design flaw could have led to an impact. The maker of the vehicle may even have to recall a truck over safety issues. The manufacturer could also have to pay into your recovery.
Do I Need a Truck Accident Lawyer After a Ridgecrest Accident?
The chance for a serious injury only multiplies when a large truck or van is involved in a crash. And when medical costs escalate for victims, trucking companies and other businesses start to look for ways to get out of helping the victims of their drivers. It’s why truck accident victims who suffer a serious injury like a neck or spine injury, or broken bones, often need the protection of a skilled truck accident lawyer.
Corporate lawyers and insurance adjusters will look for ways to blame an accident on victims, simply so they can reject an accident claim. They can also try to downplay how severe injuries are. They might also purposely wait to communicate with injured victims, simply to let them get desperate enough for help that they will accept any lowball settlement offer.
A Ridgecrest truck accident lawyer is your safeguard against these tactics. Your lawyer immediately investigates your accident and gathers evidence like witness testimony and surveillance video to build a strong case for you that an insurance company can’t dispute.
Your lawyer also looks into the truck driver’s safety record and the conduct of the company that put the driver on the road. The company may be guilty of a failure to provide safety training and testing for employees. They may have neglected to do a proper background check when they hired the driver.
Finally, your Ridgecrest personal injury lawyer helps you spot “lowball offers” and reject them. Your lawyer then demands more for you and your family.
What Can Earn Compensation After an Accident?
Your lawyer also protects you by making sure every hardship you’ve suffered is included in an accident claim.
You’ll need to demand that all medical expenses be paid for by the insurance providers involved. You shouldn’t be responsible for a cent of your recovery costs. That includes coverage for every session of physical therapy you’ll need. A permanent disability suffered makes it necessary to estimate the costs of lifelong care and seek long-term support. The travel costs you build up while seeking the help of specialists and physicians are also recoverable.
The physical pain you endure and the emotional distress you suffer are two non-economic damages that can greatly increase the amount provided on a truck accident settlement check. These traumatic factors are life-altering and should be fully supported.
The wages and benefits you lose, while you miss out on valuable work hours, are also the insurance company’s responsibility to make up to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my family receive support if a loved one is killed in a Ridgecrest truck accident?
Yes. Close family members are encouraged to file a wrongful death claim to get help with funeral expenses and leftover medical bills. They must also receive help in replacing the income the deceased can no longer provide for a spouse and children in the future.
How long do I have to file an injury claim after a Ridgecrest accident?
Two years. You usually can’t file a claim once two years have passed since your truck accident. You should speak with an attorney as soon as possible though. This will give your lawyer time to collect evidence before it disappears.
What if I can’t afford to pay a Ridgecrest truck accident lawyer?
You can still afford the protection of a Maison Law attorney. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the insurance settlement check you receive.
Contact a Ridgecrest Truck Accident Lawyer
Contact Maison Law to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an actual Ridgecrest truck accident lawyer. We want to hear what happened to you. We’re going to answer your questions and make sure you are fully aware of every party that should have to help you through recovery. A truck driver and the company the driver works for could be fully responsible for your hardships.
Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, has worked for major corporations and dealt with some of the biggest insurers in the world. He now uses his inside knowledge to make sure Kern County victims aren’t taken advantage of by corporate lawyers and insurance adjusters.
